UKC

Looking at building a small freestanding home wall in my garage and was planning on using 2x4 for the frame. However I've been offered a load of new 2x3 for basically nothing and was wondering if it would be strong enough to do the job?

The wall will use 3 sheets of 1.2x2.4m 18mm plywood at around an angle of 40-45 degrees.

In reply to Rob Laird:

It'll be plenty strong enough but at that very steep angle it'll flex a fair bit unless you build some depth (triangulation or some sort of I beam) into the structure. I built a 30deg wall with timbers on 4ft centers which is much bendier than most people recommend but it's a home climbing wall, not a floor, a little flex does no harm and that's the worst of it, you'll never snap it. A friend built a similarly sized wall with no support frame at all, just 18mm sheet wood and several piano-hinged crease lines to stiffen it (and allow adjustment). The whole thing hung on chains and so long as the hinge lines were always kept creased it was rock solid.
jk

In reply to Rob Laird:

I'd imagine it would be fine, if it's really that cheap and you are that concerned, then just glue it up into 3x4's, it'll be ridiculously sturdy then.

In reply to Rob Laird:
My board is 45degrees, using 45x90mm (roughly 2x3.5) beams for the main length and base of the board, so I think 2x3 would be fine. But you'd want something meatier for the 'uprights'. My uprights were 45x150 (2x6). It flexes ever so slightly but is totally bomber
Pics here if it's any use http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,3260.msg523706.html#msg523706

In reply to mark20:

Mark, that looks like pretty much what I'm planning. The only difference is that the vertical posts will be attached at the top of the board, with maybe some extra bracing from the vertical posts to where the plywood attaches.

How do you find the 45 degrees? Can't quite make my mind up, but figured that as the wall will only be a bit more than 3m I'd better make it difficult!

In reply to Rob Laird:

Loads of other good ideas on that thread, it's worth spending an evening reading all the way through.
I went for 45 degrees to maximise space too, I originally would have preferred something a bit less steep. But it's actually really good, with good footholds it's not that hard

In reply to Rob Laird:


Won't the posts you mention (those attached to the top of the board) get in the way and you'll hit them when you come off?

In reply to Rob Laird:

I don't think they'd get in the way any further towards the end of the board to be honest. The only reason I put them where they are is that they come in standard lengths, 1.2m, 2.4m, 3.8m. These are 2.4m so I just put them at the highest point they'd go.
I have since added a 0.6m uprights nearer the kickboard (a 1.2m bit cut in half) for extra support.

In reply to Rob Laird:
45deg is really very steep, too steep for your training to be especially specific (for anything but caves) and you end up with every hold a jug or needing thumbs/pinching.

Have you considered making it adjustable? It's barely any extra work.

If you put the support frame up the house wall behind your surface and across the house ceiling to press on the opposite house wall then there are no uprights to get in the way and nothing on the floor to land on or trip over. It also makes it trivial to add adjustable-angle/stow-away features. You hang the support ropes from where the upright and horizontal members meet behind the climbing surface. Most of the designs I see overbuilt and really lacking in creativity (mine was too but I had a big concrete wall to screw it to in a huge garage, it didn't need to be clever).
jk

In reply to mark20:

Gottcha. If it were me, I'd stick in a diagonal on each side between the bottom of your uprights and half way up your end rafters to help triangulate and brace the whole thing.

In reply to Dandan:


You are correct but it will only be twice as sturdy.

Build it in 3*2.

Then if you are unhappy with the flex, glue and screw 2*3 onto the back to make 3*5 T section.

Over twice as stiff again and the same amount of timber used. ( Stiffness proportional to B * D * D ) HTH.